Calalu, Slender amaranth
Amaranthus viridis

Family: Amaranthaceae

What it is like

An excellent substitute for spinach. Leaves, the leafy stems and flower clusters are cooked and have a mild flavour. The seed is cooked whole. Common names include: African spinach; callaloo; green amaranth; rough pigweed; wild amaranth. Spanish: bledo blanco (Argentina); bledo manso (Colombia); bledo verde (Colombia); caruru (Argentina); chichimeca (Argentina); citaco (Argentina). French: amarante verte.

Amaranthus viridis is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf from April to October, in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.5

Where it is found

A weed of waste ground and roadsides but the original habitat is obscure.

Tropical N. America? Original habitat is obscure.

Conservation Status: Least Concern.

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Leaves - cooked as a spinach. A mild flavour. The leafy stems and flower clusters are similarly used. On a zero moisture basis, 100g of leaves contains 283 calories, 34.2g protein, 5.3g fat, 44.1g carbohydrate, 6.6g fibre, 16.4g ash, 2243mg calcium, 500mg phosphorus, 27mg iron, 336mg sodium, 2910mg potassium, 50mg vitamin A, 0.07mg thiamine, 2.43mg riboflavin, 11.8mg niacin and 790mg ascorbic acid. Seed - cooked. Very small, about 1mm in diameter, but it is easy to harvest and very nutritious. The seed can be cooked whole, and becomes very gelatinous like this, but it is rather difficult to crush all of the small seeds in the mouth and thus some of the seed will pass right through the digestive system without being assimilated. The seed contains 14 - 16% protein and 4.7 - 7% fat. The nutty edible seeds can be eaten as snacks or used in biscuits. A porridge can be made by boiling the seeds in water. In northeastern Indian it is known as Cheng-kruk and eaten traditionally as a vegetable. In South India it is known as Kuppacheera. It is also a common vegetable in Bengali cuisine and is called "note shak.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 2

A decoction of the entire plant is used to stop dysentery and inflammation. The plant is emollient and vermifuge. The root juice is used to treat inflammation during urination. It is also taken to treat constipation.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.

Other

Rating: 1

Yellow and green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

How it is grown

Prefers a well-drained fertile soil in a sunny position. Requires a hot sheltered position if it is to do well. Plants should not be given inorganic fertilizers, see notes above on toxicity. Cultivated as a food plant in the tropics. Should this plant be called A. caudatus. L. 'Viridis'? Most if not all members of this genus photosynthesize by a more efficient method than most plants. Called the 'C4 carbon-fixation pathway', this process is particularly efficient at high temperatures, in bright sunlight and under dry conditions.

Propagating it: Seed - sow late spring in situ. An earlier sowing can be made in a greenhouse and the plants put out after the last expected frosts. Germination is usually rapid and good if the soil is warm. A drop in temperature overnight aids germination. Cuttings of growing plants root easily.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 7-11

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

No members of this genus are known to be poisonous, but when grown on nitrogen-rich soils they are known to concentrate nitrates in the leaves. This is especially noticeable on land where chemical fertilizers are used. Nitrates are implicated in stomach cancers, blue babies and some other health problems. It is inadvisable, therefore, to eat this plant if it is grown inorganically.

A very common weed that can be a serious in virtually any crop. Found in all warm regions of the world and one of the most common weeds in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate regions.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

A. gracilis.